Let’s Begin Again
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”
~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce
It’s December 26th, and I’m fighting the urge to take the tree down. I’m the classic hurry-up-and-wait kind of girl. The ever present FOMO is running through my system at all times. I have planners, digital calendars, task lists, and notebooks to keep me on top of everything I need to do, but what happens when the tank is empty?
Christmas does this to me every year, and every year I vow to do it differently next year.
Starting in January, I’ll do better.
Starting on my birthday, I’ll make those changes.
And every year, I write down the same goals and dreams. Every. Single. Year.
If I were a gambler (I’m not), I’d bet my last dollar you do the same thing.
The question that is bugging me this year is this: Do I change the goals, or do I simply change? I don’t want to make the same January 1 journal entry, wishing for this and that, knowing I probably won’t follow through. What would it feel like to set a goal you know you’re going to achieve?
The thing is… change has to be in little ways every single day. It’s not a Monday through Friday or weekends only thing. Change happens little by little, every single day.
Oddly enough, that’s exactly how a book is written, and that’s the only comparison I can give you right now. Word by word, day in and day out, I complete a first draft. Sometimes, it’s hard and monotonous. Other days, it flows like ocean waves. But, everyday is how it’s done.
That, my friends, is life. You can’t simply wish for something, write it down, then wait. You have to walk towards that goal with your arms open wide—knowing there will come a day when you think to yourself, “Who thought this was a good idea?” The day will come when you question whether you really, really want whatever it is you wrote down. You’ll bargain with yourself to lower your standards to a lesser version of the goal. You’ll let the goal go all together.
What I want you to understand is that’s okay. You don’t have to wait to January 1 to set a goal… they can be done on March 3rd, August 20th, or December 30th. You can start over or change the goal whenever you want. Your life, your rules.
Let me repeat that…
your life, your rules.
I found the picture at the top of this post, and a part of me melted. That little girl is fill with joy and energy and isn’t judging her bangs. She loves life, and I decided right then that this is who I’m writing for from here on out. I’m tired of the limitations I’ve put on myself, and I want to find that little girl again. She is the one who dreams and doesn’t stop when it gets tough. She’s the one that says, “Who cares if it doesn’t work? Find another way, but it better be fun.”
Because if it isn’t fun, what is the damn point?
Perhaps it’s the post-holiday let down writing this post, but I don’t think so. I’ve grown so tired of trying to make everyone happy—I know, we can’t, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t try like hell. I’m going to continue writing books I love, and pray you like them too, but in the end, I have to let that part go.
This is for me. And I want to build an empire doing what I love.
Word.
What things can you let go of to push you forward towards your goals or even more happiness? Or better yet, what goals can you let go of because you were doing them to look better to someone else? Let that $hit go! If we only choose one goal this year, let it be giving up comparing ourselves to each other.
I guarantee you’ll be happier without it…
I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy New Year.
Don’t forget: We Still Hope is out January 7, wherever you buy your books online! All the links are on my home page.
Until next time, read something fabulous.
xo, mj